STAFF &AMP; STUDENTS

Niki Schroeder

'99, BA, Criminal Justice
Chair, School of Business, and the School of Criminal Justice at another university
Professor, Kaplan University

A criminal justice degree can lead to many types of employment. A graduate can obtain work as a police officer, detective, probation officer, investigator, correctional treatment specialist, security personnel, surveillance officer, an attorney, and even an educator. Niki Schroeder's degree has led her from work in a corrections facility to being Chair of two schools at a large university, and a Professor at another university.

"As a first-generation college graduate, my parents laid the ground work for me at an early age," offers Niki. "My dad gave me the choice of college or the military. I decided to pursue nursing but quickly remembered that I didn't have an affinity for science or blood." Her educational career would lead her on a fun path that included a business administration certificate, a bachelor of arts degree in sociology, a master of business administration degree in human resource management, a master of science management degree in criminal justice, and Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) certification.

Niki's career path has included employment as an assistant investigator and case specialist. As Chair, she is responsible for hiring, training, curriculum review, and her biggest love – teaching. Courses she has taught include computer forensics, criminal law, courts, victimology, criminal investigations, advanced strategies, and criminalistics which is an introduction to forensics.

"I enjoy working with students to help them realize the big picture. My goal is always to help others." Her work has not gone unnoticed. She has twice been named Instructor of the Year. Other accomplishments include serving as a district representative for the National Curriculum Committee; a Consultant of Curriculum Review for Pearson Learning Solutions; a founding member and advocate for the American Criminal Justice Association, Lambda Alpha Epsilon, Iota Tau Tau Delta Chapter; member of the American Society of Criminology; and a well-known expert on criminal behavior, corrections, and getting offenders to re-evaluate their thinking and thought processes.